Loading platform



g- 1929- A. B. PATTERSON 1,723,835

LOADTNG PLATFORM Filed 001. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 gwuewto'o awe-anew,

. Aug. 6, 1929. A. B. PATTERSON LOADI NG PLATFORM 3 Sheets-Sheet Filed Oct. 25, 1927 gkw'ntoz A. B. Paliersom.

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Aug. 6, 1929. A. B. PATTERSON LOAD I NG PLATFORM Filed Oct. 25, L927 3 Sheets-Sheet B.l"a/iierso n.

Patented Aug. 6, 1929.

PATENT OFFlCE.

ALFRED B. PATTERSGN, OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA.

LOADING PLATFORM.

Application filed Getober 25, 1927. Serial No. 228,595.

This invention relates to improvements in loading devices, being; especially advantageous for use in connection with tank railway ears, having for an object to provide a plat form so constructed'and arranged with respect to a car siding that one or more tank are upon such sidings may be quickly and safely loaded, the platform including in its construction movably mounted combined gates and walkways adapted to be selective ly swung from closed or inoperative positions to open or operative positions with respect to the platform and the running board or rack of an adjacent tank car, hence permitting workers to readily walk from the loading platform on to a car running board whereby to remove the closure cap, make necessary adjustments and engage ment of a filling spout with the tank and finally, to remove the spout and replace the cap with filling of the car.

An equally important object of the invention is to provide a platform of the character indicated having a plurality of ways in the side or guard rails thereof, each oi: which is equipped with individual combined gates and walkways, such members being swingably mounted upon adjacent portions of the platform for outward swinging movement at times, and adapted, when in their closed positions to serve as effectual gates or barriers for the aforesaid ways while when i in open position, they will be lowered to sub stantially horizontal planes whereat the free or outer ends of the same will. be uxtaposed with respect to the running board or loading rack of an adjacent tank car, thus permitting workers to conveniently and safely walk from the platform to said running board, the elevation of the platfo n1 substantially approximating the height of the tank car running board and consequently thereupon, eliminat-ing the neccessity of the workmen climbing on to the car frame and thence up the usual car ladder that its running board or rack might be reached.

Other objects of the invention will be quite obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

T hat the invention may be more definitely presented through this medium, it is believed well to state in a prefatory sense, that heretofore, considerable time, difliculty and risk have been entailed in the filling of railway tank cars wherein it is usual that work men upon the so-called loading racks span the space between the tank car to be loaded and the rack with a loose plank, one end of which rests upon a portion of the rack while the opposite end engages a part of the car running board of rack, the workmen then traversing this loose plank as may be re quired. Not only is an arran 'einont of this sort impractical in use, but further, a considerable element of risk involved both in the traversing of the plank and in the lack of guarding for the loading rack, numbers of accidents having occurred through the usage of such an expedient, as by slipping and falling of workmen due to insecure footing from the plank and likewise, from the improperly guarded loading rack. lin my improved device, a safe and secure means provided in lieu of the makeshift aforesaid affording the workmen with a positive and stable walkway whereby ready and convenient access may be had to the running" boards or racks of tank cars and also, atfording, with arrangement of the walkways in closed positions, an effectual gate or ban rier for the individual openings in, the platform or loading rack 'uard rails for pern'iitting access thereto when such walkways are in horizontal positions.

In order that the invention and mode of operation may be readily understood by those skilled in the art, I have in the accompanying illustrative drawings and in the detailed following description based thereupon, set out one possible embodiment of the invention.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved platform having portions of the same broken away, t

Figure 2 is a, top plan view of the platform with portions broken away showing the arrangement of the same with respect to railroad sidings and also illustrating the manner in which the walkway is adapted to be swung into a position adjacent to the running board or rack of a tank car,

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section through the loading platform showing the relation of one .of the walkways when in lowered, position with respect to a tank car, the latter being fragmentally shown.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail in perspective. having a portion thereof broken same in their closed or vertical elevation illustrating a form of latching means adapted to be engaged with each of the walkways with arrangement or the positions outward whereby to prevent accidental swinging movement thereof.

Having more particular reference to the drawings, in connection with which like characters of: reference will designate corre sponding parts throughout, the invention may be stated to comprise a platform indicated generally by the numeral 1 such platform being preferably supported at a height of approximately ten feet upon trestle work indicated in'its entirety by the numeral 2, the opposite ends of the platform communicating with the stairway 3 and a ladder 4 whereby ingress and ass to and from the same may be effected by workmen; guide rails of a suitable height and indicated herein by the numeral being fixedly mounted adjacent the opposite sides of said platform and having formed therein at equal spaced intervals, aplurality of ways designated by the numeral (3.

This platform 1 and the trestle work 52 supporting it may be and preferably is, for the najor part, of structural steel or metal formation and the platform 1 may and preferably does have a small watch or tool house 7 arranged upon the same y I shown in Figure 1, said watch house being of design and size as will suflice the requirements of the loading platform or rack constituted by the platform 1 and the trestle won: 2 supporting it.

'Sills 8 are bolted or otherwise positively secured to metal beams 9 fixedly mounted upon the trestle work 2 and over the sills 8, planking generally indicated by the numeral 10 is secured in juxtaposed relation, supporting brackets 11 being fixed to portrons of the platform superstructure adjacent the various ways 6 for pivotally receivmg and supportin bracket arms 12, which in turn carry lateral supporting and bracing bars 13 fixedly receiving planks 1d thereupon whereby to constitute a combined walkway and gate adjacent each of said ways 6.

Vith a view to providing means for facilitating swinging movement of the 'all ;\v:xy:-; consisting of the bracket arms 12, the l. 11's 13 and the planks 1% and whereby said combined walkway and gate will be can 10d to automatically move to its closed p-silion, times, an angle metal bar 15 is secured to each of ti bracket arms 1: 5 at substantially right angles to the planking lei and to the intermediate portion of each angle metal bar, I secure one cud oi. a flexible cable 16, said *able passing over a guide roller 17 rotatably mounted in suit: ble bcarings upon an apj iropriale portion of ihe plutfor super-structure and having a couz'al'er :hting element 18 connected to its rci i free end for vertical uuwciueit the trestle work rangemeut, it will be understood that the combined gate and walkway liereiubelore described will be normally retu'ued in its closed position, that is. in a position adja cent or within the particular way provided therefore in the guide rail 5 of the loading platform .qucntly upon this, an effectual car v ll be provide: for said 'ay, thus, avoiding possibility of accidents caused by the walking or ilalling of workmen through said way (3. Ys hcn however, it is desired to use the combined walkway and gate vulkvay, an outward thrust is imparted to the planking portion l t thereof and this portion is pivoted upon particula mounting 12 and permitted to swing to a substantial horizontal po ition; the walkway with lowerin couiucr ug the weight of the element 18 and because of lly this an reaching the l mit of its downward .e'w

ing movement with a gradiuiluess that wi i avoid stressing or breakage of it or of the.

supporting means therefor.

That means ma he provided for the C0111 bincd and 'alkways for holdiu." retaining the same in their closed or re tive vertical positions against undo: out-wart swinging movement, ll prcl I provide a form of atch means of sin-able or approved construction. This latch menus, as shown in tl Figure 8, may consist of a slidable spring pressed bolt 12-5 mounted in suitable brackets provided therefore upon portions of the rail-5 adjacent to the different ways 6 receiving said combined gates and walkways, designated at 13*,

the outer ends of these latches being adag'ited to 011- gage with portions of angle bracket keepers 13 secured to the corcsponding side. and free end portion of the combined gate and walkway so that with swinging of the same to its closed or vertical position, the particular latch 13" adjacent the same will auto matically engage therewith and thereby, rc-

leasably secure it in such position and against undesiuble outward swinging move ment. hen it is desired to release the gate, the latch 13 may of course be retracted against the tension of the spring means provided therefor and at this time, the combined gates and walkways may be swung outwardly upon its pivotal mounting to a horizontal. position.

As hereinbefere inferred, each of the ways 6 formed in the guide rails 5 of the loading platform or rack are provided with a combined gate or walkway such as hereinbefore described, these elements being normally arranged in their respective closed positions whereby to lend safety to the de vice.

ln building the platform 1 and its supporting trestle 2 including the elements of superstructure hereinbefore described, it is preferable that the device shall be arranged or extend substantially parallel with and between several railway track sidings; the lengths of the various combined gates and walkways being such that with lowering thereof to horizontal or substantially horizontal positions, the outer or free ends of the same will be juxtaposed with respect to the usual runningv board or rack 19 of a tank car 20, thereby permitting workmen to quickly and safely traverse the walkway and thereby reach said rack or runing board 19 for removing the tank car cap, making necessary adjustments of the filling spout of the oil or delivery apparatus usually arranged upon or adjacent the loading platform, engaging said spout in the tank car filling opening and finally, removing the spout and reglacfng the enclosure cap upon the car.

l Vith return of a workman to the platform 1 over the combined walkway and gate, aforesaid, the device may be caused to au tomatically swing to its closed position by imparting a slight inward pull to the now upright or substantially upright arms 15 thereof, thereby swinging the walkway upwardly from its horizontal position under influence of the counter weight 18 attached to the flexible cable 16 until said walkway assumes a vertical position between its particular way 6 and thus constitute an effectual gate or barrier therefor. Also, it will be understood that as the combined gate and walkway assume vertical position within the particular way 6 therefor, the spring pressed slidable latch 13 will automatically engage with the keeper 13 the same and thus releasably yet positively retain or secure the combined gate and walkway in its closed or vertical position.

lVhile l have hcreinbefore described with some degree of particularity, the loading platform or rack as being provided with ways 6 in the guide rails 5, upon. the oppoupon site sides thereof, it will of course be understood that these ways, if desirable may be arrai'iged only upon one side of the platform or if not this, then the number of the ways upon one or both sides of the guard rails may be increased or decreased in numbers, such as conditions or preference may dietate. It is preferably, however, tha the ways 6 in the guard rails 5 be so placed that with the arrangement of tank cars upon the sidings adjacent which the device is arranged, one of said ways may be ar anged adjacent or opposite to the running board or rack of each of the tank cars so included in the train or trains, hence providing each of said tank cars with a means of access thereto for opening,lilling and closing of the same without the necessity of workmen climbing over the sides of the various cars, up the usual car ladders and on to their respective running boards or loading racks. Because of the provision of means such as those described, the filling of a number of train or tank cars may be effected with a material saving of time and labor and with the elimination of the major portion of the risk incident to such operation.

In the Figures 6 and 7, l have shown a slightly modified form of counterweight-lug for the various combined gates and walkways, the arrangement being sim that constituted by the counterwer attacl'ied to the cables 16 passing over the various pulleys 17. ltn this particular embodimcnt of counterweighting, counterweights such as indicated by the numeral. 18 are fixedly secured to the upper ends of the bars or arms 15, corres} Jonding to the arms or bars hcreinbefore identified by the numeral 15, through the medium of bolts or other suitable fastening devices designated. at 21. These counterweights 21 are of suflicient weight to effect an automatic inward swinging movement of the combined gates and walkways whose arms or bars 15 re equipped with the same and with arrangement of said combined gate and wall,-

'ay in their vertical or closed positions, the counterweights will. serve to retain them in that position, hence insuring the positive engagei'nent of the spring pressed latches 13 with the keepers 13 provided therefor.

hat- I claim is:

1. A device of the character described comprising an elevated. platform, guide rails for the opposite sides thereof having a plurality of equi-spaced ways formed therein, combined gates and Walkways pivoted to the opposite sides of the platform. adjacent each of said ways, said combined gates and walkways each consisting of bracket arms pivotally' engaging adjacent portions of the platform, arms rigidly connected to said bracket arms and planks fixedly secured to said last mentioned arms,

other arms fixed to and arranged at substantially right angles to each of said coinbined gates and walkways adjacent their respective bracket arms, said combined gates and walkways being adapteu at times, to be arrange in substantially horizontal positions and extended outwardly from their adjacent portions of the platform, and means connected to each of said combined gates and walkways for normally and automatically returning the same to positions between the opposite sides of their respective ways and at substantially right angles to the platform.

2. A tank car loading platform comprising an elevated structure, the platform being arranged at a height approximately correspondirn to the height of the running board of 'a tank car, guard means alon the opposite sides of the platform, ways or in gross and egress communicating with the platform ends, said guard means having relatively spaced Ways formed therein, combined gates and walkways pivotally mounted upon portions of the platform adjacent each of said ways in the guard means, said combined gates and walkways each comprising relatively rigid and right angularly arranged pairs of arms, planks spanning certain of said arms and supported upon the same, the pivotal mounting of the combined gates and walkways being ei'l 'ect ed adjacent the joints of said pairs of relatively right an nlarly arranged arms, and counter weighing means for automatically returning said combined gates and Walkways from: outwardly extended and substantially horizontal positions to positions between their respective ways of said'guard means and in substantially parallel relation to the opposite sides of said ways.

3. In combination with railway siding, an elevated alatiorm positioned in proximity .to and extending co-ineidentally therewith tor a distance substantially approximating in length the combined lengths of a plurality of railway tank cars standing on said siding and arranged in a plane approximately corresponding to that in which the car running boards are arranged, walkways aivotally mounted upon those portions of the platform adjacent the siding movable to horizontal and raised positions and so relatively spaced as to have individual communication with the running boards oi said cars when moved to their horizontal positions, said walkways each comprising relatively rigid right angularly arranged pairs of arms, planks spanning certain of said arms and supported upon the same, the pivotal mounting of the walkways being effected adjacent the joints of said pairs of relatively right angularly arranged arms, and means carried on the platform and connected to said walkways for iacilitating their pivotal movement to and movably retaining them in their respective raised positions.

4. In combination with railway sidings, an elevated platform positioned between the same and in proximity thereto, said pl:1t form extending co-incidentally with the sidings for a distance substantially approximating in length the combined lengths of a plurality of railway tank c: rs and arranged in a plane approximately corresponding to that in which the car running boards are arranged, walkways pivotally mounted upon the opposite side portions of .the platform movable to horizontal and to raised positions and when in said horizon tal positions, being extended from the platform in substantially right angular relax ion thereto and rela'ively spaced as to have individual communication with the running boards of said cars standing upon the sidings when moved to said horizontal positions, said walkways each comprisii'lg relatively rigid and right angularly arranged pairs 01 arms, blanks spanning certain of said arms and supported upon the same, the pivotal mounting of the \ialkways being effected adjacent the joints of said pairs of relatively right angularly arranged arms, and neans carried by the ivlatl'orm and connected to each of said wallnvays for facilitating movement of the same to their raised positions and for movably retaining the same in such positions.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ALFRED B. PATTERSON. 

